This invention relates to a seat and cover assembly for a toilet bowl and, more particularly, to such an assembly that insures that the seat member is kept clean during all positions of it and the cover member.
It has long been recognized, especially in industrial and commercial applications, to provide a seat for a toilet bowl with a biasing means, such as a spring, to automatically raise the seat during periods of non-use to prevent soiling of the seat when the toilet is used by a male in the standing position. However, in domestic environments in which a cover is almost universally provided for the toilet seat, practical problems arise in connection with this type of arrangement. For example, it is impossible to place the seat and the cover in their lowered positions during periods of non-use, which is a significant disadvantage from an aesthetic standpoint. Also, if the seat is biased to its upright position with a spring force sufficient to also bias the cover upwardly, it becomes difficult to separte the seat from the cover when it is desired to use the seat in its lowered position. In other arrangements utilizing a spring-loaded seat, the bias is set only to bias the seat with a sufficient force so that it will stay in its upright position nonwithstanding the fact that the cover may be covered with a relatively thick fabric material. However, in these arrangements the bias is insufficient to move the seat upwardly when the seat is in its lowered position.